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Funeral Homily: The Good Shepherd
Marion Clark
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 was M's favorite psalm, as no doubt it is for many. It is a psalm of comfort, comfort which comes out of confidence that God the Lord is a good shepherd who cares deeply for his flock. Let's go through it.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
The term Lord is the translation for Yahweh or Jehovah, the name that God identified for himself as the God of his covenant people Israel. It was a name so sacred to the people of Israel that in time they were afraid to pronounce it. Yahweh, the Lord is too holy, too majestic, too great to be regarded in a familiar way. And then along comes David, the boy shepherd who would become a mighty king himself, who loved this mighty Lord, precisely because the great God of creation proved to love and to care for him as a shepherd cares for his sheep.
When one knows the Lord as shepherd, then he does not want, i.e. he does not lack anything. The rest of the psalm explains why.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
It is the shepherd's duty to find food and water-not an easy task for a shepherd in an arid land. The Lord, however, not only finds pastures, but lush, green pastures-so lush that the sheep lie down in them. The water is not merely a small stream trickling down a hillside, difficult to drink. The water has collected in a pond. The whole scene is one of peace and of abundance. Indeed, there is peace because there is abundance-nothing to fear, nothing to cause frustration. And, therefore, this sheep's soul is restored.
Notice twice the reference to leading. The shepherd of the East did not drive his sheep, nor did he bring food and water to his sheep. He led them to pasture and water. The sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd, and they follow him.
The psalmist makes a point of descri ...
Marion Clark
Psalm 23
Psalm 23 was M's favorite psalm, as no doubt it is for many. It is a psalm of comfort, comfort which comes out of confidence that God the Lord is a good shepherd who cares deeply for his flock. Let's go through it.
The Lord is my shepherd;
I shall not want.
The term Lord is the translation for Yahweh or Jehovah, the name that God identified for himself as the God of his covenant people Israel. It was a name so sacred to the people of Israel that in time they were afraid to pronounce it. Yahweh, the Lord is too holy, too majestic, too great to be regarded in a familiar way. And then along comes David, the boy shepherd who would become a mighty king himself, who loved this mighty Lord, precisely because the great God of creation proved to love and to care for him as a shepherd cares for his sheep.
When one knows the Lord as shepherd, then he does not want, i.e. he does not lack anything. The rest of the psalm explains why.
2 He maketh me to lie down in green pastures:
he leadeth me beside the still waters.
3 He restoreth my soul:
he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake.
It is the shepherd's duty to find food and water-not an easy task for a shepherd in an arid land. The Lord, however, not only finds pastures, but lush, green pastures-so lush that the sheep lie down in them. The water is not merely a small stream trickling down a hillside, difficult to drink. The water has collected in a pond. The whole scene is one of peace and of abundance. Indeed, there is peace because there is abundance-nothing to fear, nothing to cause frustration. And, therefore, this sheep's soul is restored.
Notice twice the reference to leading. The shepherd of the East did not drive his sheep, nor did he bring food and water to his sheep. He led them to pasture and water. The sheep recognize the voice of the shepherd, and they follow him.
The psalmist makes a point of descri ...
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